Sports
No. 10 Michigan State eager to end slide vs. No. 5 Illinois
Michigan State’s head coach Tom Izzo reacts after Jordan Scott scores during the second half against Michigan on Friday, Jan. 30, 2026, at the Breslin Center in East Lansing. No. 10 Michigan State is facing real adversity for the first time this season. A matchup against the hottest team in the Big Ten only adds to the Spartans’ concerns.
No. 5 Illinois rides a 12-game winning streak into Saturday’s clash versus Michigan State at East Lansing, Mich.
Michigan State (19-4, 9-3 Big Ten) lost last weekend at home to rival Michigan, then hit the road and wound up with a bad loss, falling to Minnesota 76-73 on Wednesday. The Golden Gophers snapped a seven-game losing streak.
Reserve guard Divine Ugochukwu suffered a left foot injury in the first half of that game. He was ruled out for the remainder of the season on Friday.
Star point guard Jeremy Fears Jr. continues to injure his reputation. Wolverines coach Dusty May called out Fears for making dangerous plays in last week’s game, including an apparently intentional effort to trip a Michigan player in the late going.
Fears was assessed a technical foul on Wednesday for making a kicking motion to the groin of Minnesota guard Langston Reynolds after Reynolds fouled him.
Head coach Tom Izzo threatened to pull Fears from the starting lineup on Saturday.
“I did not see what happened on the play,” Izzo said. “I saw him get pushed and I saw his leg come up and I didn’t think he hit anybody, but if he did, then he deserves it, I guess. But if he didn’t, I questioned it. So are they baiting him? Well, of course. And it’s his fault.”
Izzo needs to get his team refocused quickly after its clunker in Minneapolis. The Spartans trailed virtually the entire game. They nearly erased a 16-point deficit in the late going but their woeful start — 21 first-half points — doomed them.
“What a strange game,” Izzo said. “I can’t figure out why we started out so poorly. Disappointed in my upperclassmen, if I was to be honest. And the coach, because the coach has to get a team ready, and playing three games in a row now that we have not been there at the beginning.”
The Illini were dominant throughout their last outing, pounding Northwestern, 84-44, on Wednesday. The Illini (20-3) are 11-1 in Big Ten play for the first time since the 2004-05 squad won its first 15 league games as part of 29 straight victories to open the season.
A change in defensive strategy has helped to fuel the Illini run.
“We’re giving up more (three-pointers) because we’re trying to not give up as many twos and as many layups,” Illinois coach Brad Underwood said. “Those are 100 percent shots. … We’re going to give up some threes, but we’re going to count on not giving up twos and not giving up the 100 percent shots as much.”
The Illini barely gave up anything against the Wildcats, who went 19-for-65 from the field and just 4-for-25 from 3-point range. Northwestern coach Chris Collins heaped praise on the red-hot Illini afterward.
“They have tremendous length, so it’s really hard to score at the basket,” Collins said. “Their two-point defense is terrific. They’re doing such a good job eliminating your easy baskets. We took 25 threes. We needed to make double figures, and we only made four.”
Andrej Stojakovic had a team-high 17 points for Illinois against Northwestern.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Nuggets' Peyton Watson (hamstring) out at least 4 weeks
Feb 1, 2026; Denver, Colorado, USA; Denver Nuggets guard Peyton Watson (8) controls the ball in the third quarter against the Oklahoma City Thunder at Ball Arena. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images Denver Nuggets swingman Peyton Watson will be re-evaluated in four weeks as he recovers from a strained right hamstring, the team announced on Friday.
Watson, 23, sustained the injury during Denver’s 134-127 double-overtime loss to the New York Knicks on Wednesday.
The emerging star is averaging 14.9 points and 4.9 rebounds in 49 games (39 starts) this season.
Watson has contributed 8.6 points and 3.5 rebounds in 220 career games (63 starts) since being selected by the Oklahoma City Thunder with the 30th overall pick of the 2022 NBA Draft. He promptly was traded to the Nuggets in a draft-night deal.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Preparation key for No.7 Iowa State against versatile Baylor
Feb 1, 2026; Manhattan, Kansas, USA; Iowa State Cyclones head coach T.J. Otzelberger watches his team during the second half against the Kansas State Wildcats at Bramlage Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Scott Sewell-Imagn Images Iowa State coach T.J. Otzelberger doesn’t buy the hype that a team flips a switch when February arrives.
With the penultimate month in the regular season already underway, No. 7 Iowa State (20-2, 7-2 Big 12) hosts Baylor (13-9, 3-7) on Saturday in Ames, Iowa.
“I don’t believe in any narratives about entering February,” Otzelberger said. “I think mental focus on what matters and consistency of habits is what wins out.”
Iowa State has won four straight games, the latest a 95-61 road blowout of Kansas State on Sunday. Joshua Jefferson scored 19 points to lead five Cyclones who scored in double figures.
Without a weekday game, the Cyclones got a chance to hit the practice floor and heal up as they prepare to push for a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament.
Ranked No. 5 in the NCAA NET and No. 4 at KenPom.com, Iowa State also has the benefit of playing in KenPom’s top-ranked conference.
“This is the time of year you want to hit your stride and continue to improve when you have extra time for practice, which is great,” Otzelberger said. “But it also gives you the opportunity to make sure you are doing what you can mindfully for guys’ bodies to feel great.”
The Cyclones picked up a 70-60 win over Baylor in Waco on Jan. 7. Since then, Otzelberger noticed Baylor has stepped up its 3-point shooting. Because the Bears won the rebounding battle 47-44 thanks to a 21-16 edge on the offensive boards, the Cyclones’ fifth-year coach said Iowa State has to block out.
“Baylor has a better understanding of who they are and how they are going to win games,” Otzelberger said. “They are a team of great versatility. If you get a couple wins this time of year, you get your confidence up. They are good on the offensive glass and convert those extra chances to points.”
The latest win in Baylor’s up-and-down campaign has them on the fringe of the NCAA Tournament bubble. The Bears knocked off Colorado 86-67 on Wednesday but need to beef up their resume, something a win at Iowa State would offer.
Cameron Carr (19.4 points per game), Tounde Yessoufou (17.7) and Obi Agbim (11.5) lead Baylor in scoring.
Not far off their pace is Dan Skillings (10.2). The senior guard missed the game against the Buffaloes with a knee injury. Baylor coach Scott Drew said he hopes Skillings is “day-to-day” but that he “hasn’t been given a timeline.”
Drew noted how important it is for the Bears’ top offensive performers to step up down the stretch.
“If you have three (players) that are going, it’s really hard to stop a team,” Drew said. “If you have one, it’s easy to lock in on them, two as well. But those three guys especially can put up big numbers.”
Against the Buffaloes, Yessoufou went off for 27 points as he connected on 4 of 7 three-point attempts. He added seven rebounds and said the key to his success was to let the game come to him.
“I trust my teammates to find me and the coach’s plan,” Yessoufou said. “I’m not out there trying to force it. Just play the game as it comes to me and play the right way.”
–Field Level Media
Sports
Revived Wizards move forward against skidding Nets
Feb 5, 2026; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Detroit Pistons forward Paul Reed (7) battles for position between Washington Wizards guard Will Riley (27) and forward Anthony Gill (16) during the second half at Little Caesars Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Reginek-Imagn Images The Washington Wizards and Brooklyn Nets share similar struggles this season, although they will move forward with vastly different strategies.
While the Wizards are banking on the veteran pairing of Trae Young and Anthony Davis to guide them to new heights, the Nets forge ahead with far less star power as they are set to take plenty of cap space into the summer shopping season.
With new arrivals Young and Davis watching some of the Wizards’ younger players from the bench on Saturday afternoon, Washington will face Brooklyn, which has lost 10 of 11 games.
The Wizards were early into a nine-game losing streak when Young was acquired from the Atlanta Hawks on Jan. 9 for Corey Kispert and CJ McCollum.
Since the skid ended, Washington has gone respectable 4-2 since Jan. 27 and posted its most impressive win this season, 126-117 over the first-place Detroit Pistons on the road Thursday. Young continued to sit out with a quad injury that will be re-evaluated after the All-Star break.
Washington surpassed 120 points for the eighth time on Thursday, its 53.8% from the floor was its third best and 18 made 3-pointers were the second-most this season.
The showing on offense came after making a surprising move to acquire Davis from the Dallas Mavericks — a little over a year after the center was traded from the Los Angeles Lakers for Luka Doncic.
“We’re thrilled to have him,” Wizards coach Brian Keefe said. “Obviously he’s a Hall of Fame player, top 75 all-time. To add him to our roster, it’s obviously exciting. We’re looking forward to integrating him. I think it’s a really great step for our organization that we’re all excited about.”
Davis is sidelined with a finger injury and likely will get re-evaluated in early March. The Wizards also acquired D’Angelo Russell, Jaden Hardy and Dante Exum in the deal. While Exum is out for the season, Hardy and Russell might be available Saturday.
The Wizards are hoping to see another balanced showing from its young group. Eight players reached double figures against the Pistons, including rookie Will Riley, whose career-high 20 points gave him 55 in the past three games.
The Nets split a pair of games at Washington earlier this season and their 119-99 loss on Jan. 2 is among six by at least 20 points during their current 3-18 slide. The latest was a 118-98 road loss to the Orlando Magic on Thursday night.
That loss occurred after the Nets kept Michael Porter Jr. on the roster, made a pair of small trades and waived Cam Thomas and Tyrese Martin.
“I think that we were not connected at all throughout the whole game,” Nets coach Jordi Fernandez said. “I know our guys are willing to do the right things.
“When you’re always half a second late or not talking when you’re supposed to, all those things are, it’s really hard to win a game.”
The Nets trailed by as many as 26 points against the Magic, shot 41.5% and committed 19 turnovers. Rookie Egor Demin had another encouraging performance with a career-high 26 points and six 3-pointers, one shy of his career-best.
Demin and fellow rookie Nolan Traore combined for 47 points on 15 of 25 from the floor on a night when Porter and Noah Clowney were a combined 2 of 19.
Porter is 2 of 16 from 3-point range in his past two games while Clowney is shooting 34.5% while playing in six of 11 games since Jan. 16.
–Field Level Media
Nuggets' Peyton Watson (hamstring) out at least 4 weeks
Preparation key for No.7 Iowa State against versatile Baylor
